‘That wasn’t a human error’: Arteta hits out at PGMOL after VAR drama
Mikel Arteta has accused the VAR official Lee Mason of not understanding his job as the ramifications of a missed offside that could prove costly to Arsenal’s title challenge rumble on.
Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford on Saturday but the Bees’ equaliser, scored by Ivan Toney, should not have stood because Christian Nørgaard was offside during the buildup. Mason, a former referee who became a dedicated VAR last season, did not investigate the relevant passage of play and has been stood down for this weekend’s fixtures.
Although Arteta acknowledged the apology offered by the referees’ chief, Howard Webb, on Sunday, he took issue with the explanation, issued by PGMOL, that the aberration had been down to “human error”.
“We ended the game with huge anger and disappointment because that wasn’t a human error,” he said. “That was a big ‘not conceiving and understanding your job’ and it’s not acceptable. That costs Arsenal two points that aren’t going to be restored. We’re going to have to find those two points somewhere in the league.
“At the same time we appreciate the apology and the explanations, and we got a lot of sympathy from colleagues in the industry. We have to move on.
“This has certainly made the players, staff and our fans stronger, and given them more desire to pass this hurdle they’ve put on us.”
He avoided the question of whether he was satisfied such an incident would not happen again. “I will only be satisfied if they give me the two points back, which is not going to be the case,” he said. “I appreciate what I think were really sincere, open and genuine apologies and explanations, but it doesn’t change the fact we have two points less.
“Everybody makes mistakes, the first one being myself. But that was something else: I wasn’t having it, the club weren’t having it and the consequences of what happened are clear.”
It means Arsenal must live with being three points clear of City, who have played a game more, when Arteta faces his mentor Pep Guardiola. He opted not to hype up the occasion, but acknowledged his team are becoming nearer to competing on terms with City.
“What they have done in the last six years, they absolutely merit it,” he said. “The challenge is to get to that level. We need to use that challenge and that energy. This is where we want to be. This is the level and we’re getting closer to it.
“At the end it’s three points. The same three points we won against Spurs, the same two points we lost against Brentford.”